History of environmental pollution

"Dirty Father Thames", a satirical depiction of the "Great Stink", an 1858 pollution event in the River Thames.
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The history of environmental pollution traces human-dominated ecological systems from the earliest civilizations to the present day.[1] This history is characterized by the increased regional success of a particular society, followed by crises that were either resolved, producing sustainability, or not, leading to decline.[2][3] In early human history, the use of fire and desire for specific foods may have altered the natural composition of plant and animal communities.[4] Between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago, agrarian communities emerged which depended largely on their environment and the creation of a "structure of permanence."[5]

The Western Industrial Revolution of the 18th to 19th centuries tapped into the vast growth potential of the energy in fossil fuels. Coal was used to power ever more efficient engines and later to generate electricity. Modern sanitation systems and advances in medicine protected large populations from disease.[6] In the mid-20th century, a gathering environmental movement pointed out that there were environmental costs associated with the many material benefits that were now being enjoyed. In the late 20th century, environmental problems became global in scale.[7][8][9][10] The 1973 and 1979 energy crises demonstrated the extent to which the global community had become dependent on non-renewable energy resources. By the 1970s, the ecological footprint of humanity exceeded the carrying capacity of earth, therefore the mode of life of humanity became unsustainable.[11] In the 21st century, there is increasing global awareness of the threat posed by global climate change, produced largely by the burning of fossil fuels.[12][13] Another major threat is biodiversity loss, caused primarily by land use change.

  1. ^ Caradonna, Jeremy L. (2014) Sustainability: A History. Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199372409
  2. ^ Beddoea, R.; Costanzaa, R.; Farleya, J.; Garza, E.; Kent, J.; Kubiszewski, I.; Martinez, L.; McCowen, T.; Murphy, K.; Myers, N.; Ogden, Z.; Stapleton, K.; Woodward, J. (2009). "Overcoming systemic roadblocks to sustainable health". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (28): E80, author reply E81. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106E..80K. doi:10.1073/pnas.0902558106. PMC 2710687. PMID 19584255.
  3. ^ Wright, R. (2004). A Short History of Progress. Toronto: Anansi. ISBN 0-88784-706-4.
  4. ^ Scholars, R. (2003). Stories from the Stone Age. Beyond Productions in association with S4C and S4C International. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on: 16 April 2009.
  5. ^ Clarke, W. C. (1977). "The Structure of Permanence: The Relevance of Self-Subsistence Communities for World Ecosystem Management," in Subsistence and Survival: Rural Ecology in the Pacific. Bayliss-Smith, T. and R. Feachem (eds). London: Academic Press, pp. 363–384. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-083250-7.50017-0. ISBN 978-0-12-083250-7.
  6. ^ Hilgenkamp, K. (2005). Environmental Health: Ecological Perspectives. London: Jones & Bartlett. ISBN 978-0-7637-2377-4.
  7. ^ D.H. Meadows, D.L. Meadows, J. Randers, and W. Behrens III. (1972). The Limits to Growth. New York: Universe Books. ISBN 0-87663-165-0.
  8. ^ "Living Planet Report". Global Footprint Network. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009.Living Planet Report 2008 (PDF) (Report). World Wide Fund for Nature, Zoological Society of London, Global Footprint Network. 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  9. ^ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. Retrieved on: 2009-07-08-01.
  10. ^ Turner, G.M. (2008). "A comparison of the Limits to Growth with 30 years of reality" (PDF). Global Environmental Change. 18 (3): 397–411. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.05.001.
  11. ^ Lin, David; Hanscom, Laurel; Murthy, Adeline; Galli, Alessandro; Evans, Mikel; Neill, Evan; Serena Mancini, Maria; Martindill, Jon; Medouar, Fatime-Zahra; Huang, Shiyu; Wackernagel, Mathis (17 September 2018). "Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of the National Footprint Accounts, 2012–2018". Resources. 7 (3): 58. doi:10.3390/resources7030058.
  12. ^ U.S. Department of Commerce. Carbon Cycle Science. NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories. Retrieved on: 14 March 2009
  13. ^ BBC News (August 2008). In depth: "Climate Change." BBC News, UK. Retrieved on: 14 March 2009